I'm good at basketball too

Chapter 208 Starting Attack and Defense

Author: Autumn Leaves Orange

Chapter 208 Starting Attack and Defense

After the Thunder got their three young players together, they clearly began to exert their strength this season.

They are now 10 wins and 5 losses, ranking fifth in the Western Conference.

You know, last season, the Thunder's overall record was only 23 wins and 59 losses, ranking third from the bottom in the Western Conference.

Durant's progress in the past few seasons has really jumped up to a big level every year.

In the first season, he averaged 20.3 points per game. In the second season, last year, he averaged 25.3 points per game.

This season, Durant is averaging 32.5 points per game, ranking first in the league!

Overall, the Thunder are not strong yet. Whether it is first-year Harden or second-year Westbrook, they still need to level up.

Therefore, most people still think that the Grizzlies will win this game relatively easily.

But the team's ease does not mean Li Ran's ease. He is responsible for guarding Durant. If Durant explodes and scores 5 or 60 points in a single game, it is not impossible for the Grizzlies to overturn unexpectedly.

Standing on the floor of Ford Center, Li Ran looked at the slightly thin No. 35 opposite.

"Stephen, the official height of the guy opposite is 6.75 feet. Do you believe it?"

6.75 feet is 206 centimeters.

Curry bit his braces and shook his head. Even the braces had the word "disbelief" written on them.

"If he wasn't 6 feet 9, I would eat his braces."

As he said that, he turned his head and glanced at Xiaojia, the big white bear next to him.

Garfield's height is 213 cm, and Durant is obviously only three or four centimeters shorter than García.

"The current height of Durant wearing shoes is about 210cm, which is normal. The point is that this guy seems to have grown a little bit more in the past few years?"

Li Ran thought silently in his heart.

The most unbelievable thing about the NBA is the player's height, such as Iverson's 183, Durant's 206...

Whoever believes it is a fool.

Li Ran looked helplessly at the opponent who was a full ten centimeters taller than him.

For this game, the Thunder started with Durant, Westbrook, Jeff Green, Sevilla center Nenad Kostic, and the hope of the Swiss village, Thabo Sefolosha.

In the past two years, Jeff Green has been a real member of the Thunder's three young players. He will not replace Harden until he wins the Sixth Man of the Year award.

Sefolosha is an excellent wing defender with height, a certain three-point shooting ability, and breakthrough ability. He is a qualified team puzzle player.

But he couldn't take advantage against Iverson.

Although he is old, the answer is not something that everyone can bully.

Don't worry about Curry and Westbrook, just watch them pulling their hair on the court.

The key lies in the matchups between Li Ran and Durant and Randolph and Jeff Green.

Kostic jumped over Xiaojia's head to get the ball, and Li Ran stood on the wing and concentrated on defending Durant.

It is the team's custom to hit the first ball to the boss.

But Westbrook controlled the ball and suddenly passed Curry hard at the top of the arc.

Curry was unprepared for this.

In other words, there is nothing you can do even if you are prepared.

In terms of impact when breaking through, perhaps only the little fat guy from Utah Plateau is better than Westbrook.

When Li Ran saw this scene, he couldn't help grinning. He gave up on Durant without hesitation and rushed to the inside.

"It's time to check your homework, my David Westbrook."

Westbrook, who is still single-minded now, will basically not choose to pass out as long as he rushes in.

It has to be said that Westbrook's current physical fitness is indeed incredible. Facing Randolph's defense, Westbrook accelerated again and passed the fat man again.

However, that's where it ends.

Westbrook jumped high in the penalty area, his whole body stretched into a full bow, and it was like a dunk that was enough to enter the top five.

It's a pity that this goal indeed scored among the top five goals, but he was not the protagonist.

Li Ran, who was well prepared, stood in the reasonable collision zone and jumped up when he saw the opportunity.

His big hands pressed tightly on the ball held high by Westbrook.

Li Ran suddenly exerted his strength.

"boom!"

Westbrook almost fell flat from the sky.

Westbrook struggled to sit up and found that the basket was empty.

Curry got the ball that was blocked by Li Ran, and sprinted towards the frontcourt with Iverson and Li Ran.

This is the scene that Grizzlies fans are most familiar with this season. The same scene will happen several times in almost every game.

The three of them played a fast break together. Not to mention a young team like the Thunder, even the Pistons, who are known for their defense, were overwhelmed in the first game.

Finally, Li Ran caught the rebound ball that Curry hit on the backboard, and dunked the ball into the basket in a one-armed posture that was almost the same as Westbrook's just now.

Durant stood near the center circle, watching this scene helplessly, and at the same time glanced calmly at Westbrook, who looked frustrated next to him.

In this offense, when Durant came out to ask for the ball, Westbrook finally came to his senses and passed the ball to Durant.

Facing Li Ran's defense, Durant dribbled the ball at the top of the arc unhurriedly.

Li Ran was highly concentrated and did not dare to neglect at all.

He knew that, like Nowitzki's golden rooster independence, Durant's pull-up, although the hit rate was a little lower, was still an "undefendable" move.

Whether he can make it or not depends entirely on Durant's touch.

Thinking of this, he pressed closer to her.

Now if you want to defeat Durant, it seems that you can only rely on your body.

Sure enough, Durant was not used to Li Ran's candy-like defensive strategy. He protected the ball while trying to get rid of Li Ran's defense.

Li Ran refused to give in.

After dribbling the ball twice more, Durant suddenly dodged to the side, his long legs seemed to teleport, and he stepped out almost two meters away.

Li Ran followed up without hesitation and jumped to block the shot in anticipation.

The wingspan of the two is about the same, but Durant is ten centimeters taller than him. The only way to perfectly guard against him is to rely on anticipation.

Durant is indeed like Li Ran, taking a side step before jumping up to shoot.

However, the moment he jumped up, Durant discovered that Li Ran's hand was already in front of him.

In desperation, Durant was forced to raise his release point for this ball.

In this way, hitting the ball with the iron is a matter of course.

With Kaguya in position, Randolph jumped up slightly and collected the ball in his arms.

Li Ran, who had just started to prepare for the same trick again, sighed and slowed down his pace.

If Randolph was blocked just now and Garfield grabbed the rebound, it would have been a wonderful long pass across the half court.

But Randolph won't, he will only...

After a few awkward moves, Randolph obediently handed the ball to Iverson beside him.

The answer is to dribble the ball forward. Except for defending the black hole, the Grizzlies backcourt duo has no problems in other aspects.

With the help of Li Ran's pick-and-roll, Iverson broke into the paint and scored a wonderful little floater over Kostic's head.

It seemed that after the start, the young Thunder were suppressed by the Grizzlies.

Especially on the defensive end, Li Ran's defensive experience made the two core players Westbrook and Durant uncomfortable.

Li Ran obviously played about the same amount of time as the two of them, but everyone felt that Li Ran's performance on the court was more experienced than the Thunder's twin stars.

(End of chapter)